Disappointed with the whole stinking pile of of all the candidates at this point.
Branstad is way overreaching here. I used to be a fan of his.
Cruz is the real outsider, the real anti-establishment candidate , the real conservative in the race.
DT is none of the above. He panders too.
There , fixed it.
There was a time when I thought Ethanol was the way t go. Getting it kick started seemed like a decent idea.
I was wrong about government involvement. We should not be subsidizing ethanol.
Farmers are between a rock and a hard place. The family farm is a dying thing, and I don’t like seeing it.
I don’t know what the conversations are like around the dinner tables on those farms, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear those farmers agree with Ted, and realize it would impact the farm negatively if they lost the subsidies.
I think Ted’s right. As to votes, he may be (politically) dead right.
There goes the theory that Trump can’t be bought, and he’s gonna clean up the corrupt political system..
Ethanol is more popular in DC than Iowa.
They probably wonder why millions of people can get free food and money every month, but they can’t get a little corn subsidy. Yes, it should ALL GO AWAY. Until it does, simultaneously, Cruz will only have half of an argument.
Stomach to feed.
They will choose whatever and whomever feeds the dog, fills their wallets, kisses their asses and continue feeding at the government teat/trough. It’s not just the inner city poor who like their government “programs”.
Let’s hope the crony capitalism urge doesn’t win this one.
Iowans will in the end vote self interest and for the subsidies.
We get thieves for politicians because we have voters who want the stolen goods.
Its an apt analogy for this whole election cycle. For once, the Iowa Caucuses are quite representative of the current choice presented to the American people.
And to think, Sarah Palin is supporting this crap!
Ted Cruz 2016!
Confucius
I’d like to see this jerk Branstad locked in a room with nothing to drink but ethanol.
Longest serving Governor in American history.
The ethanol issue is a peripheral issue. The fuel industry itself says they’ll continue using ethanol no matter, because it’s the best, cheapest way to add octane to gasoline.
So, it’s going to keep happening.
I understand it’s a tax benefit and not a payment. Is anyone clamoring for a reduction in tax benefits to other industries? Oil, gas, steel, auto, etc.?
My understanding is that farmers actually receive nothing, but that the tax benefit goes to the refiners of ethanol. The benefit for farmers is a market for their corn and increased demand that drives up the price. Since Iowa is a major corn producer, the price of corn is a huge issue with a huge percentage of jobs tied to agriculture in one way or another.
Cruz proposed a 5 year phase out, I suppose intending to lessen the impact on farmers. He would have been better to go with 10. The investment in huge farm machinery simply can’t be recouped in 5 years.